The Family, Religion, and Society in Africa Before the Slave Trade

Our Scripture verse for today is Matthew 2:13-15 which reads: “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

Our BA and BC quote for today is from the late poet and author Maya Angelou. She said, “I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God’s will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at commensurate speed.”

In this podcast, we are using as our texts: From Slavery to Freedom, by John Hope Franklin, The Negro Church in America/The Black Church Since Frazier by E. Franklin Frazier and C. Eric Lincoln, and The Black Church In The U.S. by William A. Banks.

Our topic for today is “the Family, Religion, and Society in Africa Before the Slave Trade” from John Hope Franklin’s book, From Slavery to Freedom. He writes:

As among other peoples, the clan, a group of families related by blood, was the basis of social organization in early Africa. The foundation of even economic and political life in Africa was the clan, with its inestimable influence over individual members. Although the eldest male was usually the head of the clan. relationships were traced through the mother rather than the father. Women were central figures in African society because they were, through marriage, the keys to appropriating land and, through their labor and that of the children they bore, the means to cultivating land. These realities were reflected in the widespread practice of polygamy, especially by men of wealth and power. 

In communities where matrilineal practice was followed, children belonged solely to the family of the mother, whose eldest brother exercised the paternal rights of the family and assumed all responsibility for the children’s lives and actions. In clans that admitted only female relationships, the chief of the community was the brother of the mother. In communities that were, on the other hand, patrilineal, the chief was the real father. With either group, those forming the clan comprised all the living descendants of the same ancestor, female in the matriarchal system and male in the patriarchal system. 

In general, a wife was not considered a member of her husband’s family. After marriage she continued to be a part of her own family. Since her family continued to manifest a real interest in her welfare, the bride’s husband was expected to guarantee good treatment and to pay her family an indemnity, a compensation for taking away a member of the family. This indemnity was not a purchase price, as has frequently been believed. The woman did not legally belong to her husband but to her own family. Naturally, the amount of the indemnity varied both with community practice and with the position of the bridegroom. Indeed, in some communities the tradition was maintained by a mere token payment out of respect for an ancient practice that had once had real significance in intertribal relationships. 

Although polygamy existed in virtually every region, it was not universally practiced. The head of the family would defray the expenses involved in the first marriage of a male member of the family, but if the husband wanted to take a second wife, he would have to meet all the expenses himself. Religion played a part in determining the number of wives a man could have. Local religions did not limit the number. When the Muslims made inroads into Africa. they forbade adherents to take more than four wives. Christian missionaries insisted on monogamy altogether. The practice of polygamy does not appear to have produced many evils. As a matter of fact, the division of household duties in a polygamous family had the effect of reducing the duties and responsibilities of each wife, a highly desirable condition from the point of view of the wives if the husband was without servants or slaves. 

The clan, the enlarged family, was composed of all families that claimed a common ancestor. The clan would develop in the same community or area, but as it became larger and as some families found more attractive opportunities elsewhere, the clan would separate, and one or more families would go to some other area to live. Unless the separation resulted from a violent quarrel or fight, the departing families regarded themselves as still being attached to the clan. Once the unity was broken by separation, however, the clan ties tended to disintegrate because cooperation in war, economic activities, and religious life was no longer practicable. Under the strain imposed by separation over the course of time, the traditions and practices of the parent clan tended to become obscure and unimportant. Consequently, little more than a common name bound members of the same clan together, and new environments and new linguistic influences had the effect of causing clan names to be changed or modified. In such instances, members of the same clan living in different places had no way of recognizing each other.